BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — In what may be the first program of its kind, an Alabama Baptist school is targeting future ministers with undergraduate scholarships.
Samford University has created a pre-ministerial scholars program aimed at students who are called to full-time ministry in traditional, church-related positions. The Birmingham-based school announced the program April 10. In a press release, school officials said the institution plans to offer the scholarships to as many as 50 students over the next several academic years.
The merit-based grants will begin at about $11,000 a year per student, with the potential of increasing to $16,000 annually for scholars who meet certain academic criteria.
Samford recently admitted 16 high school seniors to the program for the fall semester of 2008. This group will represent the first freshmen to be awarded the scholarships, which are available to students of any denomination. A trial run of the program last year provided scholarships to eight undergraduates already enrolled at the school.
James Barnette, a religion professor who directs Samford's ministerial-formation program, said scholarship recipients must meet certain academic standards as well as demonstrate a clear calling to, and giftedness for, traditional ministerial roles.
The students must feel called to such positions as senior pastor, associate pastor, other local-church staff minister, non-medical career missionary, hospital chaplain, campus minister, pastoral counselor or religion professor.
“Just as there are pre-med, pre-law and pre-pharmacy programs, Samford wants to develop a pre-ministerial program that will train up the most capable ministers of tomorrow,” Barnette said, according to the Samford release.
He also said that Samford is, as far as he knows, the first Baptist undergraduate institution to offer such scholarships to incoming freshmen.
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